11 Monthiversary

[GRMPer]

Apparently I also need to do something to get to reverse...which is, uh, where on a 900? Same as a 99 (down to right, IIRC)

going out of the garage was easy...turning it around, not so much

No in all seriousness, you have a couple options. You can modify yours by removing a chunk of plastic where the "gate" to 5th gear is. Or you can go to a junkyard and pull the plastic bottom out of a 5 speed which is set up to work with a 5 speed, duh.

[saab90089]

Doh! On the no reverse thing. Did you re-align the shifter linkage?

As for co-driving at TN.....i'm always up for a drive however I have never co-driven a road-rally. Just TSD's which really don't compare.

Ian

[GRMPer]

I just reconnected the universal (no real adjustment there as it's pinned on both sides) and that's it.

I'll figure out the realignment thing.

On another note, not much room in there for a MSS race header...rubs in all sorts of places.

[Geoff]

the earlier cars (99s early 900s) adjust shifter alignment by loosening the triangle shaped nuts on the shifter housing and moving the housing around. Later cars have a collar at the coupler (where your U-joint is) for adjustment, only one end is pinned. You need to loosen the triangle nuts and move the shifter housing around to get it adjusted. The kicker is that on 5spd cars the mounts for the shifter housing are welded a little bit off to the side as compared to 4spd cars (so you can get all gears). When I put a 5spd into my 99 I had to drill one of the mounts out larger (the rear one I think) and pivot the rear of the shifter housing towards the driver's seat. I also used a shifter, shift rod, and bottom plastic gate from an '80 900 (5spd) because it all bolted in and i was able to use the stock 4spd U-joint. I think 5spd cars also have a little bend in the shift rod, so that might have something to do with it too...

[GRMPer]

what's the break down on years for "early 900" I'll head to the junkyard and see about those parts.

Also, the rebuilt brake master that I got has a different fitting for its reservoir, essentially needing a reservoir with 3 small nipples instead of 2 small and one big for the rear circuit. 'Nother "doh"

Per

[Luke]

Per, does your car have the nice steel universal with the rubber boot around it where it attaches to the gearbox, or a rubber bushing connector deal, as added on the later cars to reduce vibration through the shifter?

If you have the nice universal you can get a piece of thin wall 3/4" OD tubing 3-4 feet long (5/8" ID 16g, the crappy thin stuff not good for anything heavier duty than shift linkage, like available at home depot or sears) and cut off the original shaft with a short stubbie coming out of the universal and the shifter box, then weld the 3/4" tube over the end of the stubbie at the universal. Run the 3/4" tube inside the car and cut a slit in the end of it and slip over the stubbie at the shifter box. Secure this adjustable connection with a 3/4"ID industrial shaft collar or the shaft collar that saab used on later 900's at the gearbox connection. Really simple and then if things get of of whack its a one man job sitting in your seat to tweak the thing.

[GRMPer]

It appears to be a plastic universal.

[Luke]

Really, thats a new one. Somebody must have rigged that up.

[GRMPer]

It's tight and works pretty well though.

the service manual does mention some cars having a plastic universal.

[Luke]

It's tight and works pretty well though.

the service manual does mention some cars having a plastic universal.

I think we may be talking about something different. I think you're talking about the universal inside the shifter housing right? I'm talking about the universal way up by the connection to the tranny..

[GRMPer]

Nope, I'm talking about the one near the tranny. It's a universal joint with two taper pins holding it to the shift rod and the tranny shift rod, and then a bolt in the middle holding the two parts together.

[Luke]

Oh gotcha, then it looks like a rag joint for a steering column right? It should be metal and rubber, not really "plastic"

[GRMPer]

Nope, like a universal joint:
http://www.rinomechanical.com/universals_plastic.htm

like this, but w/o the metal rings with the set screws. I'll take a picture.

there is a pivot piece that is metal inside the joint, so it's not all plastic, just the pieces that go on either shaft.


Per

[Luke]

Weird! I've seen about 5 different type of couplers used, but never saw a plastic one!

These are available from truechoice or pegasus and make a nice replacement for mushy rubber ones but it sounds like what you have should work fine.




I still recommend putting a slip fitting on the front of the shifter box for adjustment, it just makes it so easy!

Lock with one of these:


or for extra security one of these:

[Geoff]

what's the break down on years for "early 900" I'll head to the junkyard and see about those parts.

I think it was a mid-year '81 change. You can tell by looking at the shift coupler at the transmission, if it has two taper pins then its the early style. If it has the slip fitting at one end then its later. I know a lot of people have put the later style shaft in but I think they've talked about having to cut it down to work. I don't know why, the '80 setup in my car fit fine, it just needed to be kicked to the side. Luke's suggestion would work well, it may be difficult to find the early style shift mechanisms... You'll at least need a shift gate (plastic piece under the shifter housing) for a 5spd.